For Harry
by MBP
Summary: We only know what Hermione, Ron, and Ginny yelled when they saw Hagrid carrying Harry out of the forest, but what were they thinking when they saw this?
1. Hermione's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: I just finished rereading DH, and the idea for this oneshot hit me out of nowhere. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DH.

"'_Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away...'_"The high, cold voice said more, but my ears heard none of it. My body felt as though it were frozen. It couldn't be true… not any of it. Harry could not be dead, and he certainly didn't run away. Ron, Ginny and I looked at each other over Fred's body. Their eyes were already swollen, but the look in them was disbelieving, mirroring my own, I knew.

There was whispering around us as Voldemort's words sunk in, and then, almost as one, everyone around us rose, and with one last, lingering look at those they had to leave behind, began to make their way out of the castle. Ron grabbed my hand again, and I squeezed his tightly. I grabbed Ginny with my other hand, and the three of us forced our way through the crowd so we could see what was coming. I had to know why Voldemort had said this even though every fiber of my being knew it couldn't be true.

"Why do you think he said that?" Ron voice was directly in my ear, and I could hear the fear he was trying to hide. I turned to look him full in the face, ready to chastise him for doubting our very best friend, when the sight of his red, swollen eyes deflated me. I shrugged, squeezed his hand again, and then turned and pulled him after me until we reached the front line. Everyone was standing in front of the ruined castle, waiting… for what, though, we had no idea.

And then they emerged from the forest, and my heart plummeted as the Death Eaters pushed Hagrid forward, and I saw that he carried something in his arms… something that looked terrifyingly familiar… I was trying with all my might not to recognize what was clearly right before my eyes when Professor McGonagall made it impossible.

"NO," she wailed, and that's when I broke. I never thought I'd hear that indomitable woman defeated; even when Dumbledore died, she'd cried, but she never sounded as helpless, as grief-stricken as she did now. My eyes filled with tears, but even through them, I could see the lightning shaped scar, the black glasses… everything that proved, beyond a doubt, that my best friend was before me… dead.

"No!" it was Ginny. Her voice was shocked, but the scream erupted from her in such anguish that I was afraid it would tear her in two, and I couldn't help but echo her cry.

"No!" I felt as though the word were ripped from my own throat, and I felt the tears gush down my face, feeling pain like nothing I'd ever felt before. We couldn't have come so far… for this. And then…

"Harry! HARRY!" Ron screamed, and if I thought Ginny's cry would break my heart, now it shattered into a million pieces. I'd never wanted to hear Ron in this kind of pain, but now I looked at him, and as the tears ran down his own face, he looked back at me, and I could see it in his eyes. He'd lost everything. Two brothers in one night. How would he ever survive this?

Before I could even think, I was stunned as the people behind us began screaming as well, deafening cries and insults that only made Voldemort's taunts grow louder. I barely heard a word he said until I suddenly realized that Ron was moving forward… because he was still holding my hand, and he was pulling me with him.

"He beat you!" Ron yelled it, and my heart thought it would burst with pride and love. He hadn't given up on Harry, and he knew, just as strongly as I did, that Voldemort lied and that Harry had not given up on us. There was nothing left but to fight in his name. And even though both of our eyes still streamed with tears, we saw each other clearly and knew that this was what we had to do. For Harry.


	2. Ron's POV

Disclaimer: Harry Potter will never, ever be mine.

A/N: Ok, so maybe it wasn't done. I don't know why I've been thinking of this again lately, but not to worry – I haven't abandoned Still Left Behind. This just needed to be written first. I might like it even more than the first chapter. And yes, this means there will be one more chapter.

Ron's POV:

"'_Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away...'_" There was more. I know there was. But my ears were buzzing. He couldn't – _couldn't_ have said what I thought I heard. I stared at Fred, but I knew Hermione and Ginny were looking at me. I didn't want to look up. I didn't want to stop looking at my brother, and I also didn't want them to see my face. It was stupid and childish, but I couldn't help it. But I didn't have a choice.

I slowly raised my head, and the faces that were looking back at me reflected my own misery. I had never seen Ginny so devastated, and my eyes welled up against my will. I blinked back the tears that I had a sinking feeling would become familiar and without a word passing between us, we stood as one. But we couldn't seem to move. I didn't want to move away from Fred's – from Fred, and I knew Ginny didn't either. But Hermione knew what we had to do, and she started to slowly move toward the front of the hall.

Sighing deeply, I took a long step forward and grabbed her hand. I couldn't say it to anyone, but I couldn't do this alone. She stopped walking and looked back at me with so much understanding that I wished I could just take her in my arms, bury my face in her hair, and forget everything that had just happened. But I couldn't. Because Voldemort had said something – _something_ – and I knew I had to go with everyone else even though there was nothing I wanted to do less. Hermione reached over and grabbed Ginny's hand, and the three of us moved together through the crowd and made our way to the front.

We'd just emerged and were standing there, shifting from foot to foot when Voldemort's words suddenly came echoing back to me. I felt as though someone had poured icy water down the back of my jumper, and I turned slowly to look at Hermione.

"Why do you think he said that?" I tried to move my lips as minimally as possible because I was afraid of how my voice would sound, and I didn't want Ginny hearing it. I didn't want Hermione to hear it either, but there wasn't much of a choice there. She looked at me, and I could tell she was drawing in breath for a fight, but then she kind of deflated. She shrugged and then turned back to the forest, squeezing my hand.

I tried to take some deep breaths while we stood there, tried not to think about anything at all, but then there was movement before us, and figures emerged from the forest. One of them towered above the rest, and I knew immediately that it was Hagrid, but … what was he carrying? That couldn't be… no. it couldn't. But then… why was Professor McGonagall screaming?

She wailed, "NO!" and my stomach twisted. McGonagall yelled at us and punished us and helped us when we needed her. She didn't cry; she didn't scream, and she most certainly didn't give up. This … this had made her give up. I still couldn't bring myself to look into Hagrid's arms.

"No!" This wasn't McGonagall. This was worse. This was my sister, and I knew – maybe even for the first time – I knew what Hagrid was carrying. And I also knew that my little sister was in love. It wasn't infatuation; it wasn't a crush. It was love, and this… this was pain.

"No!" Her hand was still in mine, and I felt Hermione start to shake. If Hermione were shaking… suddenly it was real. This trio – this was wrong. Me, Hermione, Ginny… it was wrong. We were missing the last piece to our puzzle, and as I finally looked directly at Hagrid and saw the body he carried, I knew that we would never be complete again. The tears I never wanted to shed were in my eyes again for the second time that very day, and I didn't even try to blink them away.

"Harry! HARRY!" I didn't know why I was screaming his name when he obviously couldn't hear me, but I didn't think I'd ever be able to admit that Harry couldn't hear me. First Fred, now Harry… my siblings have always been the best part of my life, and now I'd lost two. I looked at Hermione, and she looked at me, and I suddenly knew only one thing for sure. We couldn't give up. We hadn't come this far to give up.

Without even realizing I was moving, I found myself dragging Hermione forward to stand beside me, Ginny trailing her, and fury coursed through me.

"HE BEAT YOU!" I screamed and became aware of the screams behind me as the defenders of Hogwarts seemed to take comfort in those words. They were ready to fight, and as Hermione and I looked at each other, I knew we were too. We had to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. We had to fight for Fred. We had to fight for Harry.


	3. Ginny's POV

**A/N: This one is slightly different from the last two (because, well, her relationship with Harry was different!) There will possibly be more chapters. Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I do come back to this when I need breaks from my other stories.**

"'_Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away...'_" The words were just noise. I knew from the look on Hermione's face that they probably weren't good words, but my brain could register nothing but the lifeless body of my brother in front of me – and that not very well.

But … no. Those words… had I heard what I was starting to maybe – possibly – think I had? No. He couldn't have – have said that about _Harry_. But then Ron looked up too. And – and were those tears in his eyes? They couldn't be. This was Ron. But they were. And that's when the words sank like lead into the pit of my stomach. Of course I knew what Voldemort had said. I just couldn't – _wouldn't_ – let myself believe it.

Ron and I stared at each other over Fred's – over Fred, and he blinked hard. For the first time, I realized just what this would do to Ron if these words _were _true, and suddenly, I couldn't sit there any longer. As I stood – and I knew without looking that Ron was standing too – I looked down at Fred. I looked at George. He was still sitting at Fred's head, still staring into his face in disbelief. I moved over to him and put my hand on his shoulder, and I felt a tremor course through him, but that was his only movement. I shook myself. There would be more time for this later. I swallowed hard. There had to be.

Hermione and Ron were already moving, already ahead of me, and I watched as my brother took a longer stride forward to catch Hermione's hand. It couldn't be clearer to me that he was not going to be able to do this without her. I hoped she knew that too. I hoped she would hold him up. I knew he would let no one else do it.

When I caught up to them, Hermione took my other hand without saying a word. I looked at her for a moment, but she didn't even look at me, just kept pulling me and Ron forward. I wondered if she thought we wouldn't be able to move without her prodding. I wondered if that might actually be true.

We were outside, the crowd from the Great Hall behind us, when I realized, somewhat bemusedly, that the night sky was dark and beautiful. It occurred to me then that possibly—just possibly – I was numb. I had to be. Because there was a split second when I even wondered what we were waiting for. I didn't have to wonder – or wait – for long to find out, though – or for the numbness to break into a million pieces.

Ron whispered something to Hermione then, but all I could hear was his fear and anguish. He glanced at me, and he didn't even need to repeat it. We both knew. And that was when the numbness started to crack.

But it had only _just _started, and I was only _just_ starting to remember why we were actually standing there when there was movement, and then figures were emerging from the forest, Hagrid's giant form foremost among them. And I knew with sudden clarity that this was what we were waiting for, but what I didn't know – what I couldn't know – what I absolutely refused to know – was what he was carrying in his arms.

"NO!" It was – no. It couldn't be. Professor McGonagall didn't wail. She fought Death Eaters. She commanded knights in armor. She held Hogwarts together after Dumbledore died. She didn't give up. But – she had. I opened my eyes, took a clear look at Hagrid's shaking shoulders and knew that my life was officially over. What I hadn't known – what I was only just discovering – was that my heart could actually break.

"NO!" The word ripped itself from my throat, and I didn't even know I'd said it, didn't even know I was starting to sway, until I felt arms go around me tightly, catching me before I could hit the ground. I couldn't see anything clearly right then—my eyes were too blurry with the tears I was too tired to hide anymore – but I forced myself to look up. George was looking back at me, and the pain in his face shoved me even further into the abyss. But even as he pulled me into his arms, I heard it.

"NO!" Hermione screamed. If I thought my own shout had ripped through me, this one punctured what little resolve I thought I might have had left. I buried my face in George's shoulder. I couldn't stand there anymore. I couldn't look at Hagrid anymore. I couldn't look at – at –

"HE BEAT YOU!"

I'd thought nothing could hurt me anymore, nothing surprise me. But Ron – I hardly realized what I was doing as I pulled myself from George's embrace and turned to face my only brother who was hurting as much as I was. And one look at Ron told me I was right – but it also told me something else. I'd always known he was brave, but now, I could see that he was a Gryffindor in the truest sense of the word. His face may have been white, and his eyes may have been full of tears, but his voice rang with conviction and love, and he suddenly moved forward, pulling Hermione with him. She reached for me, and I found myself letting them bring me along.

My life as I'd known it was over. I would never have the future I'd imagined with a husband I would love forever and six goofy, loving older brothers. But I did have Ron, Hermione and the memory of the Boy Who'd Lived – and who'd loved me more than I could have possibly deserved. And if anyone deserved my own bravery now, it was Harry Potter. I had to fight. For Harry.


End file.
